Urban/Miranda again lead Billboard Country Song chart

Thursday, November 21, 2013 – Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert remain atop the Billboard Country Songs chart for the week ending Nov. 30 with We Were Us. "Duck The Halls: A Robertson Family Christmas" from The Robertsons remained first.

Luke Bryan was second on the songs chart with That's My Kind of Night. Blake Shelton stayed third with Mine Would Be You. Florida Georgia Line climbed three with Stay. Taylor Swift's Red was fifth. Joe Nichols went from 10 to six with Sunny and 75. Eli Young Band climbed four to ninth with Drunk Last Night, one ahead of Carolina by Parmalee, which was up five.

David Nail was a big mover with Whatever She's Got, up six to 12th. Zac Brown Band was at 16, up three, with Sweet Annie. Cole Swindell stood at 18, up four, with Chillin' It. Darius Rucker was 20th with Radio, up three. Hunter Hayes closed out the top 25 with Everybody's Got Somebody But Me, up 1.

On the album chart, Bryan stayed second with "Crash My Party" and Florida Georgia Line third with "Here's to the Good Times." Kellie Pickler debuted at fourth with "The Woman I Am." Shelton was fifth with "Based on a True Story..."

Lady Antebellum jumped 20 spots to sixth with "Golden." Jason Aldean closed out the top 10 with "Night Train," up three. Justin Moore moved up fourth to 15 with "Off the Beaten Path," while Rucker also climbed four to 16 with "True Believers."

"Merry Christmas...Love, Elvis" was at 25, up eight. Alan Jackson was 34th with "Precious Memories: Volume II," up five. Presley's "The Classic Christmas Album" was up 14 to 35. Martina McBride's disc of the same name was 37th, up 18. Mountain Man debuted at 39 with "Slower Than Christmas." The Statler Brothers' "Best From the Farewell Concert" was 40th, up 27.

On the Bluegrass Albums chart, Jackson was first again with "The Bluegrass Album." Trampled By Turtles debuted in second with "Live At First Avenue." Michael Martin Murphey was third with "Red River Drifter," one ahead of The Devil Makes Three's "I'm a Stranger Here." Steve Martin & Edie Brickell were fifth with "Love Has Come For You."

On the overall top 200, The Robertsons were fourth, Bryan 12th, FGL 14th, Pickler 19th and Shelton 24th.

CD reviews for Keith Urban

Even though Keith Urban's single, "Wasted Time," borrows more than a little sonic sensibility from electronic music, there's still an upfront banjo solo. And this is how it's always been with Urban. He may play the part of the guitar hero at times, and even revealed his eclectic musical knowledge as a judge on American Idol, but Urban will always be a country boy at heart. And boyish good looks and talent have taken this country boy far, too.
The wonderfully titled »»»

Keith Urban will keep his superstar status intact with the lengthy "Fuse." The upbeat, commercial- and fan-friendly music and singing from Urban will ensure that. This is pretty much vintage Urban.
That means Urban's not very high on the country quotient. What sounds like a guitar on the rocking Good Thing and the somewhat swampy Red Camaro, for example, is Mike Elizondo's programming. Yes, there's gango (six-stringed banjo with guitar neck) sprinkled in many songs, but »»»

In a conversation with John Fogerty on CMT's "Crossroads" show, Keith Urban commented that his goal as a young man growing up was to have songs that people heard on the radio, and they would turn them up and sing along. Following that line of thinking, and the influence of catchy songwriters such as Fogerty, Urban continues to hit his mark on "Get Closer."
The song quality is on par with past Urban releases; the musicianship, as is to be expected, is top notch. »»»

Editorial: Walking the talk –
When names like Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Waylon and the Hag are invoked, you're talking hard core country. These are the touchstones of country , the guys who made country music what it was and still is (or maybe can be). When these folks would sing about being down-and-out and the rough-and-tumble, they knew of what they were singing about. Fast forward a few years to the country singers of today. »»»

Concert Review: Lambert refuses to rest on laurels –
Watching this stop on Miranda Lambert's "Livin' Like Hippies Tour," one is struck by just how many great songs the country singer/songwriter already has in her repertoire. With most artists, it's relatively easy to guess which song a performer will choose to close a show. But Lambert has so many winners to pick from, many... »»»

Concert Review: DBT rocks on –
Drive-By Truckers still sometimes get miscategorized as alt.-country, but who's kidding whom? With three electric guitarists upfront exchanging hard rock licks all night, this is a blistering Southern rock band.
Hitting the stage just before 10, the band played a satisfying 2-hour-plus set. At 11:40, Patterson Hood announced the band would be... »»»

Dan Tyminski (known simply as "Tyminski" on his 2017 release "Southern Gothic") has traditional music roots and unassailable bluegrass street cred especially given his membership in Alison Krauss' Union Station. He is also a powerful songwriter and has been writing songs for himself and others for years now.... »»»

Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn have powerhouse individual talents; each has followed an estimable career path to where they find themselves today: making complex, but spare, records, writing music together and touring with their son Juno. Their new release, "Echoes In The Valley" features mostly songs written by Fleck and Washburn, banjos, Washburn's strong vocals and very little else.... »»»

Legends don't come any more legendary than Chris Hillman. The roll call of bands that comprises Hillman's half century in music reads like a wing exhibit at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame; Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers, Manassas, the Souther Hillman Furay Band, the Desert Rose Band,... »»»

East Nashville may be known as "the" Americana hotbed these days, but some of the talent there is very much verging on rock 'n roll. This is the case with Lynn Taylor & the BarFlies on their third release, a collection of personal tunes by the front man. »»»

The soundtrack for the independent film, "American Folk," stars two real-life singer-songwriters played by Joe Purdy and Amber Rubarth, who also contribute the bulk of the material on the soundtrack. Understanding the plot of the film helps explain both the sequence and content of the track list. »»»

Mary Gauthier has built her career on honest, sometimes brutally and achingly self-confessional songs. This is the first time that she has focused on experiences other than her own, and it could become not only the strongest album of her career but, in its own way, a landmark album. »»»

Matt Hectorne's new album - his third solo effort - offers another example of the rewards that can come through the joy of discovery. While Hectorne makes no attempt to bend the boundaries as far as a patented Americana sound is concerned, the success he achieves here is the result of him doing quite the opposite, that is, sounding like a revered veteran who mastered the form quite quickly in his career. »»»

LANCO's "Greatest Love Story" is a radio single saturated in undeniable warmth and sweetness. But then, the attitude in "We Do" reeks of Florida Georgia Line and the chorus to "Singin' at The Stars" also brings country music's most annoying duo to mind. LANCO is a new act, and the jury's still on just which direction this five-piece will go. »»»

With their stunning new album "Ruins," First Aid Kit further ascend to unexpected heights of superstardom, a status a few knowing pundits have been predicting for the Swedish sisters since the beginning. »»»